Re-finishing motorcycle tank and side covers

[snaggletooth]

Ok so I have painstakingly removed the old graphics and paint on my 76 Yam RD400 2 stroke's gas tank.
Got down to bare metal where the dings were and bondo'd up 3 small dings. Wetted out the whole thing just to fill a lot of tiny low spots.

80 grit to remove old paint, most of the tank down to bare metal, also to cut the high spots down on the repaired areas. Continued sanding with 180, then 320.

Shot on a thin coat of self etching primer which revealed 2 areas that needed feathering better, and a small patch about 3/4" square that I needed smoothing some fine scratches out.

Re-sanded with 320 and applied 2nd coat of primer. Since the coats were light it obviously could use a 3rd coat and re-sanding.
I'm not a pro but I am very meticulous and was willing to spend considerable time to make this thing look as good as I can.

My question to you pros is this. Is 320 fine enough to go with for my final sanding before my basecoat?

Also how many coats of primer is sufficient... Keep in mind there was a lot of bare metal, no original paint left on.

I'lll be using a basecoat/ clearcoat.
I want to use a GM color used on Corvettes called Torch Red which identically matched the original Yamaha "Chappy Red" which I know I'll never find.
Several websites sell rattlecans of any color you want as long as you provide the paintcode, which I have.

I need advice on which clearcoat to use on the tank which will be gasoline resistant.
Is the 2K urethane clear coat what I should be using for this?

Also I will need some advice on what grit to use between clear coats and final sanding .
The manufacturer of the new graphics I will be applying requires that they go on after clearcoating and once applied clearcoat over the decals to protect them.

Any advice you can give me I would appreciate before I move further forward on this. I don't like doing things more than twice if possible, ...at least that's what my wife always says.

TiM

[Len]

Ok so I have painstakingly removed the old graphics and paint on my 76 Yam RD400 2 stroke's gas tank.
Got down to bare metal where the dings were and bondo'd up 3 small dings. Wetted out the whole thing just to fill a lot of tiny low spots.

80 grit to remove old paint, most of the tank down to bare metal, also to cut the high spots down on the repaired areas. Continued sanding with 180, then 320.

Shot on a thin coat of self etching primer which revealed 2 areas that needed feathering better, and a small patch about 3/4" square that I needed smoothing some fine scratches out.

Re-sanded with 320 and applied 2nd coat of primer. Since the coats were light it obviously could use a 3rd coat and re-sanding.
I'm not a pro but I am very meticulous and was willing to spend considerable time to make this thing look as good as I can.

My question to you pros is this. Is 320 fine enough to go with for my final sanding before my basecoat?

Also how many coats of primer is sufficient... Keep in mind there was a lot of bare metal, no original paint left on.

I'lll be using a basecoat/ clearcoat.
I want to use a GM color used on Corvettes called Torch Red which identically matched the original Yamaha "Chappy Red" which I know I'll never find.
Several websites sell rattlecans of any color you want as long as you provide the paintcode, which I have.

I need advice on which clearcoat to use on the tank which will be gasoline resistant.
Is the 2K urethane clear coat what I should be using for this?

Also I will need some advice on what grit to use between clear coats and final sanding .
The manufacturer of the new graphics I will be applying requires that they go on after clearcoating and once applied clearcoat over the decals to protect them.

Any advice you can give me I would appreciate before I move further forward on this. I don't like doing things more than twice if possible, ...at least that's what my wife always says.

TiM

Be sure that you use a flexible block to sand your "guide coated" primer so that you can see any surface variations. Apply a couple of coats of primer then your guide coat and allow it to harden before block sanding. You can use 320 or 400 dry or 400 to 600 wet sandpaper.

When sanding with the flexible block start sanding very lightly so that the guide coat will show you any highs and low spots. If you see a low spot don't try to sand it out but sand around it until the surface is level or you need more primer. It's impossible to say how many coats of primer are needed, you may get away with one if the surface was leveled properly or you may need several to remove surface variations.

A good quality urethane clear should serve you well.

LINK